A Comprehensive List: Podcasts and YouTube Channels for Writers
I was never a podcast fan before, but in the past year I’ve fallen in love with programs that focus on writing advice. Hearing other people talk about their writing struggles helps me feel a little less crazy.
Whenever it’s quiet at my day job, I need to be listening to something to keep myself from going crazy. Might as well be about writing, right? I think these can especially be heartening if you work at a job you don’t enjoy and just want to get back to the writing.
I want to keep updating this list as I find more podcasts I enjoy. I’ll also fill in more specific details as I get to better know each podcast. Please comment with any that I missed.
DISCLAIMER: No promises that these are safe for work. Headphones, friends. To help those with micromanagers, I’ve marked the YouTube channels with asterisks and in a separate list as well.
YouTube pro tip: I like to put on a writing playlist so it will autoplay for me, then minimize it in it’s own window.
my favorites
Hosted by literary agents Erik Hane and Laura Zats, this is my all-time favorite writing podcast. It has a perfect balance between structure and hilarity. Also, the show’s twitter account is fire. Bonus: These agents aren’t based in New York, giving them a unique perspective. For $8 a month, you get access to their vault of query critiques, first page critiques, analyses of published pages, and other goodies. Very much worth it.
YA writer and podcast host Sarah Enni has a really pleasant voice. She has also asked really insightful questions of many of the heavyweights in the YA world, including Marie Lu, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sarah Dessen. At an hour long, her shows usually bring the best out of the author. Several authors have spoken with her multiple times, allowing a glimpse into how authors grow at different stages in their writing careers.
I am in love with this podcast. It features talks with people from all walks of the publishing life—including editors, which shows rarely get access to. I personally like it a lot because the host, Jenn Baker, works in Production like I do. It’s an area that a lot of people interested in publishing just don’t seem to know is a career option.
Listening to this show feels like eavesdropping on two friends talking at a bar—except these two friends are literary agents. A recent episode that went into contracts was eye-opening, offering an insider look at a pretty enigmatic process.
Ellen Brock, a freelance editor, offers rock-solid advice on plot structure. Thanks to her, I finally understand what a midpoint is. Her videos feel more advanced and specific than many others on YouTube.
This podcast has been around forever, so there’s bound to be something in the backlog for you. I love the discussions that come out of the conversations among the rotating cast of hosts.
for new writers
for YA writers
diversity in publishing
interviews with authors
critiques
Print Run (in Patreon episodes)
PubCrawl (in key episodes)
Shipping and Handling (in key episodes)